OREM, Utah – Former Utah Valley University men's soccer student-athlete Ben Perkins is now enjoying success after college as the founder and owner of &Collar. Learn more about Perkins' success in this week's Wolverine Club Scholar Feature.
Perkins grew up in Asia and called Hong Kong, Beijing, Taiwan and Taipei home during his youth. He then moved to Utah during his senior year of high school and played soccer at Brighton High School in Cottonwood Heights.
Perkins, who played for the Wolverine men's soccer program during the team's inaugural season in 2014 and again from 2017-19, played in 31 total matches which included 13 starts during his three seasons of competition for UVU. He was a key contributor to the Utah Valley defense during his three years of competition and helped lead his team to six shutouts during his senior campaign.
He earned Academic All-WAC honors as a Wolverine and also the Conference USA's Commissioner Academic Medal as a freshman at the University of Kentucky, as he posted a perfect 4.0 GPA before transferring to Utah Valley. Perkins would go on to earn his bachelor's degree in marketing with a business management minor from Utah Valley University with honors in 2019. He also met and married fellow Wolverine student-athlete, Melanie Ostler (women's soccer), during his time at UVU.
While still a student-athlete at UVU (2017), Perkins founded and started &Collar—a company that specializes in producing stain repellant, breathable, wrinkle resistant clothing. The company uses a performance athletic fabric similar to that seen on Nike or Under Armour products in men's dress clothes. Perkins has built &Collar from just an idea to thriving seven-figure performance menswear company.
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Founded in 1987, the mission of the Wolverine Club is to directly support over 300 Utah Valley University student-athlete scholarships in all 16 NCAA Division I varsity sports. Through philanthropic donations, The Wolverine Club ensures each UVU student-athlete is provided the necessary resources to compete, graduate and contribute to the community. Your gift, no matter how big or small, makes a difference in the lives of the student-athletes at Utah Valley University. Every athletic donor becomes a member of the Wolverine Club and Utah Valley University Athletics family with an annual donation. The Utah Valley University Foundation is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit. All gifts are tax deductible to the extent of the applicable law. Consult your financial professional on how a gift impacts you.
